Starting with Crimson

Looking at the giant pineapple in front of him, which was almost as tall as a two-story building, Li Qingyu felt a little hesitant to take a bite.

So he picked up a bottle of orange soda from the sand in front of the pineapple and began to examine it.

Orange Soda

[Grade: D]

Orange-flavored soda can quickly restore energy.

Hmm... just by looking at it, it looks like the kind of ordinary soda sold in small shops.

But... how do I open the bottle without a screwdriver? Li Qingyu tried using his back molars and bit down hard.

Good...it didn't break open.

Hey...

Li Qingyu sighed and had no choice but to stuff the mouthpiece of the orange soda bottle into the husky's mouth.

Without hesitation, the husky opened its mouth and bit the bottle opening.

Immediately afterwards...

Li Qingyu snapped it open with force.

Click—the bottle cap opens.

Before the husky could even taste it, Li Qingyu picked up the soda, stuffed it into his mouth, and started drinking it down in big gulps.

Soon, a bottle of orange soda was downed.

"Ah~ That feels great!"

Li Qingyu felt his withered body instantly come back to life. It seemed the system's description was correct; this thing was indeed very effective at restoring physical strength.

He casually tossed the empty bottle into the wooden bucket and saw the husky's two heads staring at him expectantly. Li Qingyu then picked up a bottle of soda and stuffed it into the mouth of one of the husky's heads.

"Click~"

This time, Li Qingyu didn't take it away, and let the husky drink it down. Before the dog's head could even take two sips, another dog's head squeezed in.

A bottle of orange soda was emptied in no time after the two dogs had been arguing about it.

The husky stuck out its tongue and licked the bottle, then realized it was empty and looked longingly at Li Qingyu.

"Look at this, there are only a few bottles, so use them sparingly."

After speaking to Erha, Li Qingyu looked back at the enormous pineapple.

A giant pineapple in the deep sea

[Grade: C]

[A special species found at a depth of 10,000 meters in the deep sea, it is enormous.]

And then...that's it?

The system's introduction remains as concise as ever.

But... such a big pineapple, how come eating it didn't have any special effects?

Why does it feel like it's not as effective as orange soda?

Okay, if there's no special effect, then there's no special effect.

Judging by its size, it should last at least two weeks without worrying about food or drink, if not until the end of the competition. The only question is... where should I even begin...?

[Crimson: Look, look! What did my sister say? Is there a huge treasure chest?]

Don't worry~ Follow me, and I guarantee you'll live the high life.

[There's really not much to see right now, it's just a simple pineapple, except it's big. But I suggest you don't eat it yet, let it evolve and maybe there will be a pleasant surprise.]

evolution?

Crimson evolves...

However, it's not that it's out of energy.

Could it be...?

Li Qingyu raised an eyebrow and looked at the three yellow crystals scattered on the ground.

Yellow Magic Crystal

[Grade: C]

[A crystal containing earth-elemental magic.]

[Crimson: Eat it! You will gain the power of evolution!]

Li Qingyu picked up a yellow magic crystal from the ground and examined it; it was about the size of a fist.

After shaking off the sand, Li Qingyu hesitated for a moment, then put it in his mouth and tentatively took a bite.

Damn...it's really hard...

How is he supposed to eat that?

Could it be... that we'd just swallow it whole?!

It's too big... I can't bear it...

[Crimson: You're so stupid~ Can't you even lick? Do you need your older sister to teach you how to lick properly? Learn from the simp next to you.]

[And besides, do you really think the nights in this desert are this quiet? Hurry up and lick it, kid!]

Okay, judging from Crimson's expression, there might be danger tonight, so we'll have to step up our efforts.

It's just licking... anyone can do that...

Li Qingyu looked at the aluminum lunchbox, the remaining orange soda, and the other two magic crystals on the ground, and picked them all up and put them in the wooden bucket.

Then, Li Qingyu picked up the yellow magic crystal and took a deep breath.

With his eyes closed, he began frantically licking the crystal.

........

Jinghai City Live Broadcast Room.

The solemn atmosphere suddenly turned strange.

"Where...where am I?"

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"How embarrassing!"

"Sis, I can't stand it anymore!"

"Why do you say he doesn't eat the boxed lunch and instead licks that yellow stone?"

"Whatever...it's just amazing!"

In an instant, the live stream was flooded with messages from female viewers. Male viewers' comments were drowned out by a sea of ​​exclamations.

........

As Li Qingyu continued to refuel, the yellow magic crystal continued to shrink.

The progress bar for Crimson Evolution in Li Qingyu's mind was also constantly increasing.

Finally, the magic crystal in Li Qingyu's hand completely disappeared. The progress bar for Crimson's evolution also reached one hundred percent.

Crimson: One evolution point has been gained.

【Crimson Evolution: Causes the target to undergo random evolution.】

Sensing that Crimson had evolved and was now usable, Li Qingyu turned his gaze to the giant pineapple in front of him.

Decided.

Use it, and Crimson Evolution will begin!

In an instant, a few specks of crimson light suddenly appeared in Li Qingyu's clear black and white eyes.

Immediately afterwards, a flash of red light appeared.

Li Qingyu's eyes returned to normal, and deep red flames began to ignite on the large pineapple in front of him.

Boom!

Deep red flames surged.

Li Qingyu could no longer see the pineapple at all.

The flames quickly disappeared.

At this moment, what was presented to Li Qingyu was...

【Deep Sea Pineapple House】

[Grade: A]

[The legendary habitat of a species lies 10,000 meters below the surface of the ocean.]

It actually... became an A-grade item?

[Crimson: Hey hey hey~ Trust me, right? I'll cover your food and lodging!]

The leaves of the pineapple house can produce about one ton of purified water every day, and can be stored up to ten tons.

[Furthermore, the pineapple house can absorb solar energy and convert it into electricity, essentially making it its own power plant. It can also produce enough oxygen to be self-sufficient, ensuring you can breathe anywhere, whether in outer space or the deep sea.]

Because it is located in the harsh environment of the deep sea under high pressure year-round, the pineapple house has excellent defensive capabilities.

Of course, you can try evolving again, but a second evolution for the same goal requires double the evolution points of the previous evolution.

The pineapple in front of me is still the same pineapple, but it now has a few more windows and a large door. The door is a metal door like the ones in ship cabins, and there's a crooked metal chimney on the roof of the pineapple house.

After briefly looking at the introduction of Crimson.

Li Qingyu couldn't wait to open the door and walk in with the husky.

The first floor of the pineapple house consists of a living room, kitchen, and toilet. It is fully furnished, and the whole house is filled with a faint pineapple scent.

Why does living here feel more comfortable than being at home?

After a sigh, Li Qingyu immediately dropped the wooden bucket in his hand and went upstairs.

As for the husky, it was too lazy to walk anymore; after all, it had been walking all day, and it simply lay down on the living room floor. Although orange soda could restore its energy, one bottle was clearly not enough.

Meanwhile, Li Qingyu had already arrived at the second floor of the Pineapple House.

A study...without books...

A collection room...without any collections...

A changing room...without clothes...

Somewhat disappointed, Li Qingyu saw that there were still stairs, so he continued to walk towards the third floor.

Finally, Li Qingyu saw what he had been searching for.

One bedroom...

There's a bed...with a super thick mattress!

bang~

Li Qingyu jumped onto the bed and bounced twice on the mattress.

"Comfortable!"

Li Qingyu lay on his back, closed his eyes, and fell asleep without even taking off his clothes.

It was just after nightfall.

........

Just as Li Qingyu went to bed.

On the other side of Saha Star, beneath an endless desert, a triangular tent lies buried in the sand.

Inside the tent, it was pitch black.

Suddenly, a pair of eyes opened in the darkness.

Chu Xuan lifted the tent flap and stood up directly from the sand.

"Hua Hua," Chu Xuan called out.

Suddenly, Chu Xuan's oversized Chinese country dog ​​emerged from the sand on the other side.

Chu Xuan surveyed his surroundings expressionlessly.

By this time, the entire desert had become almost completely dark. In the sky, only a band of stars emitted a faint glow, barely enough to illuminate the outlines of human figures.

"Let's begin."